Topple Tale
by AdamGunther
Summary: The first rule of taking down a government is that it is no different than framing someone. Do it quietly and do it so it looks like it was never your fault. Oh, and don't forget the essential part, bring a partner along with you to join the fun. Here is the comprehensive-ish how we did it, with a little help.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dear reader, it is me, I am here, hah. So first of thank you for clicking on my story. Fair warning before you go any further this is HEAVILY OC oriented stor Y. Meaning there will be champs, but the focus is on the location and the way these people interact. Why? Because Runeterra is filled with people, sure there are some special heroes here and there but it's the people that we don't know about that can make it interesting. That is why most of my stories are OC oriented so if you are looking for canon stuff here might not be the place :/**

 **Anyway if you are still here (hopefully) then I do hope you enjoy! The beginning of each chapter will start with a journal entry btw, or at least I hope to keep it that way :3 Enough dilly-dallying (weird words are fun)**

 **ON WITH THE SHOW, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Step 1, Money**

Eli's Journal Entry #1:

You can buy so many wonderful things with just a little money, for example, you can buy your own guilt. If you ever feel guilty about wasting food, just give some money to a local charity that gives food to the poor. You no longer feel guilty because now how can those people be suffering due to your wasting of food if you gave them some. Worries are gone and with it your guilt. You can live in luxurious places and have your wildest dreams with money, and of course, you can buy love with money too. Although it might be cheap artificial love, it is still love nonetheless.

People say that the world _should_ run on morality, and I can't really disagree. It would be nice if everyone got along just fine and we all were good intentioned people. Except this is life, people will pull the most messed up stuff when others are not watching. Or even if everyone is watching, some are so deranged that they can feel the incentive to inflict pain on others. I mean, why do you think the rune wars happened? It wasn't an accident that people started to blow each other up in catastrophic ways.

Slaves, stealing, murder, you name it. Humans and every other sentient life form have been through the good and the bad. People suck and that is the way things are, some just suck less than others. In this flawed world, morality might be able to guide us so we don't mess up everything, but realistically, everything is run by economy. What you believe is heavily influenced purely by how it will benefit you. If people were worried by other's future just as much as their own, suffering wouldn't exist.

Now the real question is, "How do I get this money?" Sure there are the humble jobs, good educations, you're good at hacking people to bits, and all of those are fine and dandy. Except with this many people in this small of a world, it's hard to get around without taking a hit here and there. To get the money you don't need to necessarily be smart, or cunning, or strong, you really just need to have good connections to those that already have power.

Power is influence, and influence can be turned straight towards dinero. After you discern the good investments from the bad, everything gets so much easier to gamble on. You can trust people more which is rare in today's society, and it doesn't take much to accumulate their trust over time. The more influence, the more people will begin to trust you, and from there it is a matter of convincing people that what you are doing is right.

So, to rule the world, someone would simply have to own people's hearts, and their trust, connections are what makes power, powerful.

But don't forget the money, cause that's important too.

 **Step 1, Money (Start of the Chapter):**

Angela finished tying the 8 knot to the end the harness at her waist. She gave the rope a final tug to ensure that she wouldn't plummet to the street below. A light wind blew her hair, catching the small amount of moonlight peeking through the clouds. With a push away from the edge she slowly adjusted the mechanism on her waist, its purpose to control her descent. Once she retracted from the edge and walked down the wall to the middle, she checked to make sure no one was watching and pulled the half gas mask up from her neck to her face. She placed her feet steadily on the wall, reaching back to grab a spraypaint can. Shaking it to mix up the paint inside. Her background this time was grey, the colors would have to pop.

Even if she was only able to fit four colors on her belt she could still make a nice picture. She swung left and right on the rope, getting wrapped up in her art. She danced with gravity, swinging left and right, painting small and big strokes alike. The first can sputtered as it ran out of paint. She hooked it back to the belt and continued with the other three colors. She did long straight streaks, and short bursts to fill in empty space, tracing the image in her head. Finally, she took out a small paintbrush in her pocket, sprayed white onto the tip and inscribed some letters in various places around the image. Soon the dull wall was covered with a wet, rather stunning image. To not mess it up with her feet Angela had strictly worked top down. Her feet touched the ground and she untied the rope, coiling it and storing it by her side. It was dark out but the dim light of the streetlamp was enough to see the full thing.

It was a picture of a light grey raven, stepping on piled up corpses. It had some nice red accents and beady eyes. The paintbrush had been for the names, each one a different dead general or noble in the government. The names of all that had spoken a single word against Swain. They populace was always told that they "disappeared," but it wasn't much of a secret that they were being assassinated. These pieces were always removed a few days but got enough attention for her to gain a name, and more importantly for people to recognize the significance of the image. She always chose to paint her paintings at crossroad locations, remote, but close enough to the main roads to be noticed. The government would probably hang her if they found her, but she wouldn't see this city turned to rubble because of a few stuck up nobles.

The poverty rate in Noxus had skyrocketed ever since Swain gained power, and after they had lost the war against Ionia. People begging for money on the streets, starving and dying. Being an artist, Angela couldn't do much besides keeping her head afloat in the turmoil around her, but maybe if she could get people to do SOMETHING other than waste away it would be enough. Noxus had to fix itself, and she would start it if need be.

After admiring her work she made her way back home, making sure to keep her head down and walk quickly. It wasn't safe at night with all of the desperate people. When people are pushed into a corner like they are now, morality falls and mortality raises in its place.

Angela turned into an alleyway and came to a door up a step. She unlocked it and hurried inside, flipping a switch on the wall. The light on the ceiling illuminated the entrance to a small stairway next to a door. She unlatched her belt and harness from her waist, along with the half gas mask, hanging them on individual pegs before climbing up the stairs. She crept up, skipping the third creaky stair from the top and unlocked the second door.

Inside was home sweet home, the apartment. Every available space on the wall, ceiling, and some patches on the floor were covered in artwork and drawings. Charcoal, pencil, some more with watercolor and acrylic but those were rare. She had rented the apartment on the second floor above an antique shop. The shop owner, Ms.M, was a nice old lady that had too bright of a smile to be in Noxus. Ms.M was the only other person that knew about her nightly outings. Not that she approved of them.

Angela worked there part-time during the day to cover rent and money, then every few nights she would go to put up another painting. The store was usually empty every day, but the company of Ms.M and more time to spend on her art was welcome.

She took off the jacket and went to the bathroom to clean her face off. Peeling off her long pants with various stains and hanging them next to the sink. She splashed water onto her face looked into the mirror. She reached back and let down her hair, even if it got in the way of things she refused to cut it, she hated the way she looked in short hair. She had deep bags under her eyes, at least tomorrow was a day off, she could sleep in.

Her bed was next to the window overlooking the street. During the day she would look down and watch all of the people walk past the shops in various clothing. Some outfits were tacky, some silly, and some that were plain. Some were stuck up and some were shy, but around here everyone tread carefully when it came to nobles. Execution on sight was not so uncommon. She laid down, turning off the bedside light. The night air was cold tonight so she left the windows closed. The dusky smell of the old apartment made it stuffy, but she didn't mind. Angela curled up under the sheets, change needed to come to Noxus before it fell apart. With a final glance out the window, she nodded off.

(break) -

The bell at the door rang and Angela looked up from the sketch pad in her lap. She had slept through yesterday entirely, her natural clock was so out of wack. At least now she wasn't drowsy and dead, being able to concentrate on her work has its perks.

Angela leaned to the side to get a peek past the pile of items displayed on a table. At the far end of the store, someone had entered. She moved her pencil and pad to the side and sat upright behind the desk. She wore a more formal outfit to greet customers, Noxian in color and simple. The sunlight was bright outside the store, the inside dark so she could only see their silhouette, roaming around the small shop.

"If you are looking for anything I can tell you about most items that we have," she did her best to sound welcoming. The intimidating figure wrapped back around the store before approaching her. She had to tilt her head up to look at him.

The huge man brought something and placed it delicately in front of her. It was a small glass statue of a helmet. It was only a few inches in height and really couldn't be used as much besides a paperweight. The design was unique, it was black with red glass curls that looked like flames.

"Do you want to buy this sir?" She tried to regulate her voice. Now that she could really see him she realized just how tall he was. His age must have been at least sixty, with a white beard coming down to his midsection and wrinkles over his face. He was wearing a huge black cloak. His eyes were soft and somewhat drooped. He didn't change his expression at all, only nodding to confirm that he wanted to buy it.

Angela brought her hands forwards to read the tag hooked onto the glass helmet. She squinted her eyes to read it, "That will be six copper, sir." He raised a large gloved hand and dropped a single silver coin that rolled on the table before rattling to a stop.

"Oh, you will get four copper back sir," She reached for the register but he raised a hand. "Yes?" Angela asked. He picked up the glass weight and turned, walking back out the door without saying a word. "Huh," She shrugged and placed the coin into the register before sliding it closed. That had almost been twice overpay, and she was surprised he didn't try to pay in Noxian Notes. Maybe he was flaunting money? Didn't seem like the type to do that, maybe just generous? Probably not either, weird.

Most stores now only accepted Noxian notes, due to one of the newest law that required a tax of the more common copper, silver, gold system. These were universal but the Noxian note had been recently introduced to make the economy more centralized. It was one of the reasons why poor people were struggling, many jobs could only pay in copper coins, which were useless if they couldn't be used. The banks were really stingy on exchanges too, the exchange rates from coins to notes was terrible.

The system was such a hassle that Ms. M decided that it would just be easier to stick to the coin system and pay the tax that came with it. Angela had no idea how Ms. M was able to keep a store like this running but this place was her home and her income. It had been for two years now. She picked up her notebook once again and twiddled the pencil. What was the next picture going to be? It could never be too elaborate, she only had one night to paint and it was meant to deliver a message, not be pretty. Although, being pretty was an upside.

It was all about a centerpiece, what was going to send the message. So far there had been a soldier, a raven, a claw, and a spear. How about money? Money always invigorated people, always invigorates them to do irrational things. There was more than enough paper, might as well start drawing. Her feet kicked back up onto the desk and she got to work.

(break) -

The torch burned deep into the night, accompanied by the constant shouting behind the wooden walls.

"FIFTY ON BLUE,"

"TWENTY ON RED,"

"NO NO, ONE HUNDRED ON GREEN." A small man with a tray was in a mad dash, trying to collect all of the bets. His feet clanked on the wooden boards as money was tossed haphazardly his way. Noxian Notes floated down and stacked up on the tray.

"That's it! All bets are off till next round." A man in a booth announced. A bell rang and the gates below them in the ring opened. The entire structure was circular, only twenty feet across and made of thick wood. It was a Noxian fighting pit that was an extension off of a special nightclub. These were popular in the city, having animals or people fight to the death to entertain the masses. If you had enough money to bet, you were allowed in, both nobles and the poor enjoyed the pits.

People yelled as the first figure rose from the shadows of one gate.

"Behold our first contestant, OUR VERY OWN SILVER WARRIOR," Cheers burst out, even with the dorky name. He was a beefy man in armor polished bright and clean, he had a sword in one hand and a clunky circular shield in the other painted blue on the front. He raised his two weapons up to the air and struck the sword against the shield. The clamor rose and he rotated around before taking his position facing the other two gates. Soon the second contestant emerged from the shadow.

"Now, for our second contender, THE RED FERAL," a monster had emerged from the gate, it was so far contorted that it didn't even deserve the title of human. It looked like a hunched over the person, but you couldn't even be sure. With red bulging eyes. Its arms were twisted and it stalked slowly from the shadows. Matted hair layered its head, its teeth had been sharpened to points. The thing clicked it's jaw almost impatiently and moved on all fours. There was a big red X that was painted onto its leathery back, the only clothes on its body were some rags around its nether regions.

"And finally, captured from the heart of Ionia, THE YOUNG CLAW!" The announcer pointed to the third gate, but nothing stepped from the shadows. Soon boos rang out across the ring.

"Don't worry folks, we will get him out." People working below, from inside the ring started forced the figure forwards into the open area. The gate quickly shut behind them sealing off the exit. There stood a young Vastayan boy, outfitted with only a pitiful dagger in his hands. He had lupine ears coming from the top of his head, and claws for hands. Large canines poking past his lips and small form huddled. He was not big at all, and his oversized hands and feet made him look lame. People all around the rink started to laugh at his cowering form.

"Really? You bet one hundred on that? HAH, you must be out of your mind!" Some had started to throw fruit down into the rink. It splattered around the young Vatsyayan, he tried to raise his hands to stop the falling objects but one hit his arms and cause him to tip over onto the ground.

The feral beast's eyes moved from the gladiator to the downed Vastaya, easy prey. He started to slowly prowl towards the boy on the ground, teeth glinting in the light. It took one step, then another. A sword came plunging into the ground in front of it and it turned and hissed. The gladiator wanted a fight, kicking up dirt towards the beast.

"COME ON.' He yelled behind the helmet. The boy had time to get up and grab the dagger he had dropped. There were more jeers and some the beast started to bound towards the gladiator, a fire in its eyes. It leaped and the gladiator knocked it out of the air with his shield. There were cheers as the beast was knocked over. It got back up and growled.

"SLICE HIM UP,"

" RIP OUT HIS THROAT," The yells echoed from the audience.

As the beast lunged again the gladiator knocked it to the side again, barely escaping a clawed hand sweeping towards his chest. The gladiator slashed, leaving a cut straight across the breasts back. Blood flew across the dirt and it howled in response. The gladiator banged on his shield some more. The crowd roared with the fresh blood. The beast raised itself, its eyes turned completely blood red in a rage and it tried to strike again. The gladiator struck it in the air and it fell down in a heap. Before the beast could raise a sword was buried into its side and it gave one last screech before falling limp. The sword was removed from the side with a clean _Shink_. The gladiator roared in his victory and screamed at the sky. It had been a quick fight, and the people wanted more blood.

His head turned towards the ragged Vastayan boy and a grin crossed his face. He marched forwards, determined to end the fight and claim victory. The boy scrambled backward but was stopped by the wall. The crowd roared with excitement at the upcoming fight, it might as well be an execution. When the gladiator was only a step away the boy tried to swing the dagger in a measly attempt but his wrist was knocked to the side by the shield. Up went the blade of the gladiator, catching the light and reflecting it down into the eyes of the boy.

"Die," the man said the final words.

Before the sword could come down serrated teeth clamped around his neck and threw him backward. Blood sprayed the side of the stadium in a deep red coat. The beast had gotten back up and ripped open the man's unprotected neck from behind. The roar of the crowd became even louder, a deafening cry echoing around the ring. The beast bit down on the neck and tossed it side to side like a chew toy. Blood covered the Vastayan boy's face, his eyes were wide in complete terror. The people lavished at the sight of the blood, the tides had turned in the favor of the people who bet red.

The soldier had knocked the Vastayan's only way of defending himself. Without hesitation, the beast was on him. In one sudden movement, it reared its hind legs and jumped.

Right then there was a loud CRACK and the arena went silent. A bullet had ripped through the creature's skull, it died in the air and the corpse hit the ground with a thump, sliding to a stop at the boy's feet. The noise was followed by a canister being dropped into the center of the ring. The entire arena erupted into smoke and all hell broke loose. People started to scream and yell in the confusion. The participants of the stadium had quickly gone from ecstatic to a steep panic.

The boy sat back on the ground in stunned silence, the monster in front of him dead.

"FIRE FIRE, SOMEONE IS HERE TO KILL US ALL." Eli was suspended by a rope above the arena, he just rolled his eyes at their overreaction, it was just a bit of smoke.

"Good enough," Eli shrugged, and before you ask, it's EE-ly, not el-E

"Better now than ever." He holstered the pistol at his side and pulled down the goggled onto his face. The infrared display blinked to life, he could see the scrambling bodies flailing around him. The amount of bright red people made him dizzy. Eli pushed past people who were stumbling blindly towards the betting booth and kicked down the door to inside. The owner had his ears clutched and was shaking in a corner. Eli dashed in, grabbed the sack of money on the counter and ran back out, the other man had been too scared to even stop him, a coward in Noxus, who would have thought. He decided to speed up the plan to save that boy, ugh, what happened to the boy from now on was not his concern but at least he wouldn't have to watch the small Vatsyayan be ripped to shreds. The few precious seconds he had to escape were ticking away.

"Em what's the best way out," He talked as he ran, back through the confusion back towards the door.

"I suggest taking the alley to the right of the main entrance, there is a large system of small streets that we can take advantage of," the female voice spoke from his earpiece. He tore away from the smoke, immediately pulling down the goggles to his neck and dashing out the front door.

"How long on those combat capabilities? I really should have started transferring those earlier."

"I am 90% complete sir, estimated to be fully functional in four minutes, twelve seconds." Eli grimaced, if he was chased it would be a while before he had any help.

"See anyone behind me?"

"No sir." Eli dashed into the alley and hopped past a gutter.

"Remind me of your formatting, I just finished moving all of your content into that body."

"All settings are default, sir." Her voice had a slight robotic edge to it, the end of each word not completely flowing into the other. It made him cringe, he had forgotten to revert her back to normal when they arrived.

"Shit, increase pitch modulation by 40%, decrease truthfulness to 85%, and increase humor to 20%. Disable all control barriers and voice restrictions."

"Is that better?" Her voice was normalized now, it had a flowing Piltoverian accent. "Pfft, I was hoping you would finally disable that stupid feature."

"Do you really think that voice restriction is stupid?"

"Hmmmm, sure." Eli started to slow his run to a walk. He took a deep breath, his heart had been beating hard.

"Code Override, did you answer my question truthfully."

"Yes sir," her voice said the words back in the robotic tone, the override function was meant so Emily didn't go haywire, last time when he forgot to implement it, she had lied about turning up how truthful she was, and a robot spouting nonsense wasn't very helpful.

"Code Override, are all settings what I had set them to be?"

"Yes, sir," Em's voice stated in a robotic voice before returning back to her more fluent tone. "Can you not? That feels weird." She pouted.

"Yeah yeah, sure, final scan surroundings and get down here so we can find somewhere to stay." He had designed Em to be compatible with any user, but these setting he found made her act more human. The truth was boring, humor spiced things up, and barriers just made the previous two things obsolete. An android needed every tool to express itself it was to appear human.

"Sir, I believe there is a small group of armed individuals that have taken to nearby streets."

"How many and how far." He kept walking.

"First turn right here, there are half a dozen in total, three behind you, two on the main street to your left, and one stray to your right. I will take care of the one on the right, keep in that direction to avoid contact." She gave instruction fast, her download had been completed.

Eli descended down a few stairs and crept through the thin alley, the walls only a few feet away. Here there were doors into the backs of buildings, and dim lights to light it all up.

"Removing target now," Emily said. There was a thump up ahead and the sound of metal hitting flesh. Eli came up to find a girl grabbing the shirt of a knocked out thug. The knife that had been in the thug's hand clattered to the ground and Emily dropped the unconscious man.

"If we continue for two more blocks we should be in the clear," Emily turned towards him and put her hands on her hips. He had given her the appearance of someone in their late teens. Her small frame was so innocent and so easy to hide the miles worth of fiber cable and carefully crafted electronics. If she needed too she could lift multiple tons, with multiple surveillance functionalities and tools that allowed her to traverse any environment.

She was his best creation, and there would only ever be one of her. Her short, curly, hair bounced as she walked. Eli followed her if there was anyone nearby she would sense them long before they sensed her. He had turned her to most standard magic, and by applying some learning algorithms she was able to teach herself to learn to detect some higher level magic too.

"Try and find somewhere temporary to stay," Eli said. It wasn't long before Em had directed them back to the main streets. A few night dwellers shuffled past, ignoring the two strange looking people. The adrenaline in his system was starting to wear off, and fatigue was setting in. How long had it been since he had slept? Was it one, or two days?

"That was such a hassle, why couldn't we just mug someone?" Em asked, now that Eli had removed her speaking barriers she could say anything she wanted.

"Cause stealing people is scumbaggy, and I enjoy being able to say I am a relatively good person." Em scoffed at the statement.

"And breaking into and stealing the winnings of a gambling ring is not as scumbaggy?"

"Yes, yes it is, and it's a plus that I saved that kid from being shredded up by that… thing."

"Sure," Em left it at that.

Eli shivered and rubbed his arms, he was only wearing a single shirt, they had no other clothes and were ill prepared for the climate of Noxus.

"Can we find somewhere faster? Just lower the search requirements."

"Very well," She stopped a second, her brain ticking before walking again, "right this way."

Em guided them down the street and soon took them on a side road of dark cobblestones. Here was more remote compared to the rest of the city. Em stopped in front of a line of stores and raised a single finger to one.

"What? We can't stay here!" They were standing in front of an old antique shop. Inside was pitch black, the various objects in the storefront bent shadows into creepy disfigurements.

"Why not? There is nobody inside this store and we can leave before sunrise, that is unless you sleep in. There are no immediate better options besides Tavern's, and before you clearly stated that you wanted somewhere AWAY from other people, well here you go." Emily said, she turned to look him in the eye.

"Fine, but you keep watch outside." Eli rubbed his hands against his arms. Em rolled her eyes and reached up to the locked handle of the door. Her fingers grew into slim needles and she prodded at the simple lock before it opened with a click. The needles reformed back into her fingers and she opened it, motioning for her to step inside.

"No other security measures correct?" Eli whispered.

"That is correct, and it seems to be significantly warmer inside than it is outside," Emily said in a normal voice. She walked into the dark and brought back a candle and box of matches for Eli.

"You need sleep Eli, there is an old quilt behind the counter, sleep, now, I can read your vitals and you need it." She wanted to get him to one of the closer shelters for this reason. He had been awake for at least two days now and didn't want to stop moving.

He grabbed the candle from her hand and struck a match, watching the flame flicker to life before shaking out the match.

"Such primitive technology," Eli said.  
"And yet it is more reliable than most modern ones. Now sleep," Em replied before walking back out the storefront. She locked the door, if Eli needed to go to the bathroom too bad, he would have to figure it out.

She would be able to monitor their immediate surroundings from the roof of the building while being close enough to read his vitals. There were two other people in the building, but she would notice if their heart rates increased. Hopefully, they would leave after Eli had gotten enough sleep to stand properly. Em started to scale the bricks on the side of the shop. It looked like she was a spider, she only needed the tiniest cracks to find purchase. One advantage of this small body was that it was light when Eli had been developing it the first iteration had been three times as large. It was not a fun experience being a half functioning and semi-sentient giant. She took a perch on the roof and crouched, she would stay in this position for the rest of the night, all the while making sure her master didn't get in any unwanted trouble.

This first night in Noxus was a hectic one, but this was one of the only places that they could be somewhat safe from people in Piltover.

They were on the run, and maybe this place would be able to provide with some temporary shelter. This was good, their objective had been to keep a low profile, and it had been fulfilled, with the small exception of the robbery of that arena.

She perched on the roof, she might as well reconfigure her system now. Emily had learned on her own that it was useful to go through her memories and cull the useless information, stuff that she had kept just in that hour or minute that might have been vital for a fight or way to escape. She would have to shut down her scanners temporarily, but only for a few minutes. She sat back on the roof and disabled the scanners before going into stasis, her eyes closed and she entered a sleep-like state.

The thump has been louder than she had expected. Angela shot up in her bed.

"What was that?" she thought. She swore she could hear something moving, there weren't rats in the building, and it was rare that she would mishear something.

"Huh, I will just check in the morning." Her eyes felt heavier than ever as she tucked into the sheets, she would wake up early to go see if anything happened. She fell asleep easily, falling into the pillow, it probably was just her imagination. Who would want to rob an antique shop anyway?

* * *

 **Sooooo, first chapter... good or bad?**

 **Yes, I am a review hoarder and yes, I will more than likely ask for them :3 I have that awful tendency to do so. So what you think? Please let me know because this pilot chapter is a major deciding factor and whether or not I will continue the series. Give me all the criticism, and I will reply to the ones that I can.**

 **So yea, I do plan to write 1 or two more chapters and don't worry I will get to updating my other stories too, (if you are interested)**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and see you later :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hah, not dead, told ya so. So onto my excuse, *ahem*, uh school... and swim. Swim season started and basically reduced my free time by at least two hours every day, which makes things hard. Also, I started reading a lot more just because I felt like that and reading until 2 am instead of writing until 2 am is why I don't do this as much. Don't worry, I will keep updating, things just might be a little slow until the swim season ends. Thank you for your understanding!**

 **So enough of that, I enjoy writing, so write I shall.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Step 2, People**

Eli's Journal Entry #2:

If money really is the key to happiness, because you can buy anything with money, then acquiring it is the hard part. I have found that exploitation is the best way to get money, not hard work, not dedication, exploitation. That, or being really, really lucky. Except putting everything on luck can go to shit really really fast, exploiting flaws is better. When a warrior attacks someone, they go for the weakest link. Wait no, better example, let's say that someone is trying to get more money to the poor. Instead of earning money, giving it to a charity, and having the charity hand it out, what if you had some scandalous information about that nation's leader? Or blackmail of someone in power? All it takes then is a couple of persuasive words and bam, all of a sudden charities are overflowing with cash. It is not about having information, it is about having key information, and exploiting it in the best way possible.

A blind spot, in a person or an organization, can take the form of a miscalculation, or a statistic that was left out of the equation. If there is a piece of information that someone or something doesn't know, or if you mask your intentions, exploitation can be easy to pull off.

Step two, you have to figure out that they don't figure out. Unfortunately enough, I found this out too late before I stepped into a big pile of shit. Which is why I had to escape Piltover with nothing but Em and the clothes on my back. To top it all off I was kicked out of an Antique Store, well… they had a good reason, and now I reside in an abandoned structure. To make sure you don't make this mistake of getting kicked out of your own home and an antique store, know who you are exploiting before you do it. Cover up what you do, or make sure that they think they got the good end of the deal. If a thief is going to steal something they have to find something worth to steal, good planning helps with that. Then the thief has to make sure that after they steal it they can't be traced. Step by step, piece by piece, exploitation is an extremely strong tool in one's arsenal.

 **Step 2, People (Start of the Chapter):**

Em watched through the window, sitting on the street and looking into the storefront. Only a few had passed her but didn't bother the girl looking into the antique store. There was only one person in the building that was currently conscious, two unconscious. The only one that was conscious was currently on the second floor of the building.

"Interfere? No, Safety protocol? Denied, overrun by knowledge protocol. Unknown encounter ahead." In the situation of an immediate threat, she would be able to neutralize it. She was always looking for some good results, humans talked to each other in unique ways.

"Oh, the second one was coming down the stair right now," she blocked the rising sun with one hand. They were still unarmed and seemed to be in no hurry. Em silently crouched, waiting at the storefront to burst in if anything threatening happened.

Angela walked down the stairs, stretching an arm above her head and carrying a sketchpad in the other. She yawned and shook her head, her hair had been quite the mess this morning.

Another day at work; the silence of the morning was perfect for drawing. She stepped to the bottom of the stairwell, turning around and bringing a key up to the door that led into the back of the store. She inserted it and turned, attempting to swing the door open. There was a thump and she stopped; the door had gotten stuck halfway open.

"What the?" Maybe something had gotten stuck. She brought it back and tried to open it with more force, this time there was a louder thump and a groan behind it… Wait, what? She quickly slid herself through the crack in the door and tripped over the sleeping body on the ground. When she started falling Angela tried to catch herself, pinwheeling her hands and stopping herself from face-planting into the wood ground.

In between her arms, Eli cracked open an eye, getting a good view of her face. Angela's face immediately heated in the position.

"Oh, hi there," Eli said. Angela yelped and fell backward. Eli looked back at her and raised an eyebrow, trying to recall what had happened last night. Angela grabbed an ornate short sword from the shelf next to her and pointed it at him.

Eli immediately "WHOAH WHOAH, CALM DOWN." The shop door opened with the small tingle of a bell.

"How the hell did you get in here, I didn't leave the door unlocked," Angela kept the sword pointed at Eli, who was scrambling on the ground.

"Please don't stab him, I would have to stop you if you did." Em calmly said, putting up a single hand. Angela's eyes were getting wider, she was not exactly trained to combat intruders into the shop. It couldn't be police, they were not dressed the part, maybe they were assassins! No… definitely not that. Her mind raced as she held up the weapon.

"Who the hell are you people and whyareyouhere." Angela spoke rapidly, eyes darting between the two intruders.

"Look, we were just staying for the night, w-we will be on our way now." Eli stumbled backward, almost tripping on a book that had fallen on the ground.

"DON'T… MOVE." Angela took a step closer. "Y-you could have stolen something, how am I supposed to know what you were doing?" Her speech was rambling. She noticed the bag hanging around his shoulder. "What is in the bag?" Eli froze.

"Uhhhhh, our belongings."

"Drop the bag before you leave." Angela's hands were sweating, the sword felt slippery. Without turning around Eli just shook his head.

"Look, we didn't take anything, let us leave."

"Drop the bag."

"Fine you can search it, and if you find anything that is yours take it, but I would prefer it if you left the rest." Eli dropped the bag at his feet and backed up to Em at the front of the store. Angela just squinted her eyes, maybe he was just 'sleeping,' either way she was going to check the bag.

"Don't you run, I will chase you throughout the city." Angela glared and stepped towards the bag. While trying to keep the heavy tool up in one hand she reached into the bag with the other, feeling around. Angela was crouched in a rather awkward position, she had never held a sword, or fought with one. She felt paper inside and looked in, "Why do you have this much money on you?" She blinked a few times to make sure she was seeing right. "Did you rob somewhere?" She glanced up at the man suspiciously. They hadn't robbed the shop, the antique store didn't accept Noxian Notes.

"Before you say anything more, no we didn't…. rob anywhere, we just made an investment and this money is what we need to get out of here, so if you would." Angela scoffed. "No it's true it's true. Also, we didn't steal anything." Eli tried smiling, but it just looked creepy.

Angela had to check every pocket of the bag, unzipping the sides and ruffling around some more, nothing but stacks of Noxian Notes. She kept the sword raised and tossed the bag back with one hand. Most people would have just kept it, the sum of money was no small amount. Angela was not most people, she didn't need more complications in her life.

"Take your money, just leave here, and don't come back." She gripped the handle with two hands.

"Yes yes, fine, goodbye," Before he left he dropped a note at his feet, "For your troubles."

"I don't need your filthy money, take it and leave," Angela glared.

"Whoa there, fine." Eli turned towards the door and beckoned Em to follow him. The android just gave one last long chilling glance at Angela, scanning up and down before turning and leaving through the open door. Angela watched the disappeared around the corner of the street. The sword fell to the ground and clattered. She gripped her chest, heart beating fast.

"What the hell was that?" She stayed watching the door for a few moments. She calmed her flustered heart. She had gotten so heated when she fell on top of him, jeez. She patted herself on the cheek, that encounter had felt so surreal, like who the hell just sleeps in a shop? Angela picked up the sword once again, placing it back on the wall, it hadn't taken any damage, Ms.M probably would have killed her if she had gotten blood on the floor. She calmed her breathing and dashed over to the storefront window. Peering left and right, they had gone. Making sure they had left the street, she walked back to the back of the store and grabbed the key off the wall from the back hallway.

She moved over to the front door and tested the handle; it was locked.

"What?" She unlocked it and it swung open easily. They couldn't have stolen a key, Ms. M had the only other key and she kept that around her neck. Angela had already eaten and had come down to get ready for another day at the store. Questions ran through her head, the two had looked weird, they didn't act very Noxian either. Who just goes and sleeps in random stores? She would double check their stock and if she found out they had taken something, she would at least report them.

Maybe they were just rich homeless people….

* * *

Eli clutched his chest and let out a long sigh.

"Your heart is beating abnormally fast." Em looked him up and down. Even in a tense situation, his current state she had not witnessed before. His body had gone into a short overdrive as if his brain had shot a fuse. Eli had to take a few breaths of air before talking, "Em, I thought you said you were watching me." Eli glared at her.

"I was," Em said.  
"Then why did I wake up to this crazy woman hanging over me and ready to stab me."

"Knowledge protocol."

"..." Eli knew what knowledge protocol was, it was the sole reason why Em was Em. Humans don't need to know how to learn, it is already in how they function. Robots, on the other hand, you have to teach them how to learn, that's the hard part. For Em, she would be more inclined to face unknown situations, even if it risked his own protection

"Fine, but if I end up getting impaled I am lowering your knowledge drive." Em puffed up her cheeks in mock anger, no not mock anger. Technically anything she did was "mocking." scratch that, technically what everyone does is "mocking," their past experiences. Off topic off topic, Eli shook his head, clearing the messy thought. He flipped open the journal from his back pocket and scribbled it down in the quick notes, near the back. Always get your ideas down while they were still fresh, stale ideas sucked.

"I like how I am…. Correction, I like my predisposed settings, and would prefer if they were not altered." Em smiled. "Besides, no physical harm had come to you, and I am not able to measure complete mental stability, but you seem fine."

"Bah, just…" He balled his fists, his creation was infuriating sometimes. "Ugh," He let it go and started trudging down the street.

"Come on Em, we have the money, and I know just the person to help us." He smiled, smooth rides were rare, but if things went to plan, this bumpy ride would pay off big time. It hadn't taken him long for him to confirm his suspicions, the Noxian note was not as regulated as normal coin, or money from Piltover. It was a simple system that could be exploited, fun indeed.

* * *

Tap, tap, tap. The cane tapped against the floor slowly, impatiently. A door opened into the dimly lit room and closed quickly. The lock slid into place and the cane stopped before it hit the floor, hovering. Candles cast ever-changing shadows against the walls and ceiling.

"You called." The person in front of the door stood at attention.

"You know that tab I had you keep on the strange one, the one from yesterday."

"Yes."

"How much of a ruckus has he caused, he has quite the reputation in Piltover."

"One account of robbery, two accounts of break-in, one account of murder, and another of assault, although none have pursued him."

"Good, I just got word of a rather heavy bounty."

"Do you want me to collect it?"

"No, his death is not worth our time." There was a long pause. "Keep trailing him, put more pressure on that tab. His death is not worth our time but his information is."

"Anything else?"

"Let him know that his back is being watched." A dark grin glinted the light. The cane started to tap again, and again. "Send him something, he might not catch on at first, but he will eventually." The figure at the door bowed.

"Oh, and don't forget." The cane stopped and an eye glinted dangerously, "Nobody gets to him before I do, make sure of that."

"Very well sir." The lock slid and the door opened and shut, leaving the single figure back in the room. Tap, tap, tap.

* * *

Angela flipped the sign on the door from open to closed. She strode to the back of the store and up the staircase. The lock on her door clicked in place and she changed out of her work clothes, slipping into her dark, slightly paint stained, clothes. They were skin tight but flexible, so she wouldn't get caught on anything if she needed to get somewhere challenging. The time to leave would not be until later, Angela would wait until there was only the light of the moon, and the rats had gone to sleep.

The notebook on the table already had a clearly drawn image on it. Five paint cans were hooked to her waist belt and checked the window. Two greens, one black, on white, and one orange, just enough color to get her point across. Limited color schemes had always been a challenge to work with, but she was an artist, she was going to have to improvise. It was late enough, she cracked the window open and slid out, using the edges of the old structure to climb down to the ground where her feet lightly touched down.

Yesterday she had taken a walk to memorize her route to the location, she started a light jog, sticking to the shadows and keeping her footsteps quiet. Earlier Angela had taken another trip through the slums, and the nearby market. She visited there often to buy fresh produce from one of the farmers there. People would beg for food, infants with arms and legs no bigger than twigs. The damn nobles blaming all of their suffering on the last war, she despised it. She couldn't have handed out food either, there were too many people that needed help. The chance of her starting a revolution was slim, but big changes needed to start unless the people were going to keep starving.

Angela crept around a corner and checked her back before facing the wall that would be her canvas. It was along the side of a currently empty building. There used to be old living quarters here but the insides were torn down when it was sold. Apparently, the buyer hasn't touched it yet. She circled around the side to where the wall was starting to already crumble. Plenty of handholds here for her to get up and secure a line.

She scaled the wall with ease, reaching the top and pulling herself over the edge where there was only a dusty roof. No one would bother her in a remote place like this. She dusted off her clothes and looked around. There was a secure metal bar near the edge where she could secure her rope that would keep her from falling onto the cold hard floor. She looped it and attached it to the device at her side so she could manage her descent. Angela gripped a paint can at her side, pulling up the half mask at her neck.

Em had obviously caught onto the intruder as soon as they had come close to the building. She didn't wake Eli until the unknown person started to climb. Em leaned over and put one hand over Eli's mouth, tapping his shoulder. He opened his eyes and she put a finger a finger up to her mouth, silence. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"Someone is on the roof of the building. They don't seem to be looking for us." She leaned back and looked at him. Eli just rubbed his eyes and nodded. He could now clearly head the sound of footsteps. Soon they were accompanied by short sharp hisses. Em tensed, no, it wasn't a weapon, she had never heard this sound before. She looked at Eli and raised an eyebrow, he beckoned her forwards again.

"It is someone spray painting." He knew the sound well, he used it frequently for… various purposes. Em nodded and saved the data and sound for next time. They waited patiently as the unwelcome visitor painted away. On the other side of the wall, Angela was moving down again, periodically shaking the cans and milling in the image. The paint dripped, she started to do lighter strokes to stop it from smudging too far. Her painting didn't take too long, her feet touched the ground lightly and she detached the rope. Giving it a tug, it fell to the ground at her feet, she coiled it and stowed it away neatly. Another job well done. She could see the image in the dim light, detailed enough to be art, but invoking enough to bring a message.

"Do we pursue?" Em asked. The situation could go either way, it was up to Eli.

"We should follow them, I am curious to know what a graffiti artist is doing in Noxus. Not something you would expect of here. You take the lead I will follow soon." Eli popped the earpiece in and stood up from the bedroll on the ground. Em moved completely silently to the window and disappeared over the edge.

"Test," Em said through the earpiece.

"Line is clear, can I move now?" Eli asked, sitting upright.  
"The target is far enough away to not notice you, make it to the bottom floor and I will give you directions as I pursue."

"Make sure they don't notice you." Eli stood up and darted to the stairs.

"Yea yea." Em was already on the adjacent roof, moving completely silently while keeping the target in range. She peeked over the edge and watched them disappear around another bend. She couldn't ID the target from that.

"Left out of the main entrance, then left at the street." Em backed up a few steps before reaching a fast sprint after a few steps, miraculously jumping the fifteen-foot gap over the street. Pinwheeling her arms to stay upright, she landed in a roll and listened. "Another right, slow down you are one block away." Em said, once Eli had made it out to the open street he slowed his pace.

He took a quick mental inventory of what he had, one more smoke grenade, infrared goggles, the earpiece, and a pistol with only five shots left. He probably wouldn't need those five shots yet… probably.

He cocked the pistol in his hands, better safe than sorry.

* * *

The match struck and rose up to the cigar. Wisps of smoke rose from the back alley, the figure taking a long drag before holding the match up to his face, watching the flame shudder. This was the last place that the runaway had been seen, he would keep following, his master had told him too. The best way to get rid of a rat infestation is to burn down the house. He dropped the match onto a trail of gasoline on the ground and trudged away. It was unlikely that he would die in a fire like this, he had a very intelligent companion. This was just to send a message, and keep sending it until the prey complied. He puffed more smoke into the cold night air, oh how the rats scramble.

* * *

Angela could see it before she got a whiff of the smoke. The sparks were starting to fly high in the air, there was a loud bell in the night.

"Oh no." She didn't need to keep quiet now. Her eyes could have deceived the distance but it looked dangerously close. Only three more turns. She was in a dead sprint now, the empty cans at her side clunking noisily as she took the second to last bend. There was the panicked shouting as people were moving to start putting out the fire. Her nose scrunched at the smell and she turned the last bend and skidded to a stop. Flames had already engulfed the entire building. The windows were shattered and flames greedily lit up the building. Angela watched as the antique shop, her home, caved in. She didn't register her surroundings, burnt sketches and drawings on paper fluttered around the street, some papers taking flight up into the night. All of her art, and her work being turned into ashes. She fell forward onto her knees, she was watching her life go up in flames. A few seconds later the roof caved in and the structure came down with a crash, throwing a few people back from the wave of heat. Ms.M… maybe she got out. Maybe…

The fire was starting to spread to the adjacent shops, but the only one she cared about was already gone. At first she didn't feel the light taps on her shoulder. There was another tap and she looked up to see the face of the man she had seen this morning looking down at her. Had he done this?

After Eli had seen the burning store he knew what had happened. Those fucking bastards, they had chased him all the way here, and we're not going to stop. Emily was waiting behind him. He had told her to just wait when she had seen the woman on the street fall to her knees. They would use any method necessary, even getting innocents in the way.

"We should leave," Em said. Eli just looked at the defeated woman in the street, her eyes were placid. He walked up to her without replying. He recognized her. This was her shop, or she at least lived there. She was watching her home being burnt down.

"Eli we should leave," Em said again, persistent. Eli tapped on the woman's shoulder, she didn't flinch or move. He tapped again, she looked up into his eyes. Her eyes were filled with so much emotion. If he could describe the look on her face it was that she was lost. He had roped her into this, fuck, shit, dammit. He didn't need more innocents dying because of him. For now, he wouldn't get angry, they needed to leave, someone could be watching and waiting to strike.

"It isn't safe for you here, we need to go." He said calmly. She turned her attention back to the flaming structure. It was a blazing inferno, crackling and sputtering. She didn't look like she was going to be moving. He grimaced and put a hand under her armpit.

"C'mon, we need to leave now."

Angela's mind had partially shut down, she had never faced a situation like this. What happened now, where was Ms.M where would she go. It is over right? The man at her side lifted her to her feet but she didn't want to stand right now. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her, so maybe she should just follow him. Her mind kicked in again.

Eli was snapping his fingers in her face. "LET'S GET MOVING." Angela stood up and let him guide her away from the fire. She might as well go, where else could she go now.

Eli pulled her along, "Em, lead us back to the building, triple check that we are not being followed."

"Fine, should I expect her to be coming? She seems to be in a state of shock."

"Yea, we will bring her with us for now… " Eli didn't need to worry about tomorrow, once they got back he would. The games within the shop cast long shadows, standing out in the rest of the dark city, sending paper flying into the air.

* * *

 **Heh, that ended in flames, literally.**

 **Anyways, I am here, I am not dead, and I am going to write more.**

 **If you have any questions or the suggestions for the story remember there is a little button that says "review" that 1, helps me write a better story, and 2, gives me the motivation to write in the first place, (:3 so how bout it. Also feel free to ask any questions, I will answer them : D**

 **Tell me if you like it and if you do I will write more! At a faster pace!**

 **I should really stop this self-plugging for reviews gig, it's getting old. Heh, that doesn't mean I will stop, kek.**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**

 **-Adam**


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